Detention: In August 2023, at 4 a.m., FSB officers raided the homes of six Crimean Tatars in Bakhchisaray, including Seydamet.

Sentence: As of July 19, 2026, there was no information on the sentencing in verified open sources. The Russian Federation charges Seydamet Mustafayev under Part 2 of Article 205.5 of the Russian Criminal Code ('participation in the activities of an organization recognized as terrorist under Russian law'). Human rights organizations consider the persecution politically motivated and link it to systemic repression against Crimean Tatars in occupied Crimea.

Mustafayev Seydamet was born on June 18, 1995. He is a Crimean Tatar, a resident of Bakhchisaray. Married, father of four children. Before his arrest, he was actively involved in community activities and was an activist of the public association 'Crimean Solidarity,' which supports the families of political prisoners, highlights political repression, and defends human rights in occupied Crimea.

In 2017, he was sentenced to 10 days of arrest for participating in an unauthorized rally: he and other neighbors went to the home of Seyran Saliyev, where a search was taking place. In 2021, Mustafayev was detained and fined under the article for non-compliance with emergency rules, and in February 2022, he served several days of administrative arrest for an article on mass simultaneous presence of citizens that violated sanitary norms and obstructed movement.

After the beginning of the Russian occupation of Crimea, Seydamet Mustafayev regularly supported the families of illegally imprisoned Crimean Tatars, attended court hearings, assisted with humanitarian support, and participated in public initiatives. Due to his activism, he repeatedly came under the scrutiny of Russian security forces. During one of the actions in support of political prisoners, he was already subjected to administrative liability and arrested for several days.

In August 2023, at 4 a.m., FSB officers raided the homes of six Crimean Tatars in Bakhchisaray, including Seydamet. He was taken into custody on charges of participating in the activities of a terrorist organization due to alleged involvement with the Islamic party 'Hizb ut-Tahrir.' This charge carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years of imprisonment. According to Mustafayev's mother, all detainees were not allowed to see their families for a whole year. Seydamet's family was able to see him only during the court session a year after his arrest, in August 2024. Seydamet Mustafayev himself complained about pressure from the staff of Pre-trial Detention Centre No. 2 in Simferopol.

After his detention, Seydamet Mustafayev was charged under Part 2 of Article 205.5 of the Russian Criminal Code ('participation in the activities of a terrorist organization'). Human rights defenders emphasize that in such criminal cases, Russian investigators traditionally use hidden witnesses, contradictory religious studies, and other evidence that does not meet international standards of fair trial. Ukraine and international human rights organizations regard such cases as politically motivated persecution.

After the preventive measure was chosen, Seydamet Mustafayev was placed in Pre-trial Detention Centre No. 1 in Rostov-on-Don. According to the Office of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, in 2025, the Russian court repeatedly extended his detention. The family and human rights defenders emphasize that prolonged detention without a verdict violates the right to a fair trial and freedom.

On October 21, 2026, the Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don delivered guilty verdicts to six Crimean Tatars, members of the fifth Bakhchisaray group in the so-called 'Hizb ut-Tahrir case.' The men were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 15 to 19 years in strict regime colonies. Seydamet was sentenced to 15 years of imprisonment. His case remains an example of politically motivated persecution of Crimean Tatar activists in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea.

Information used from open sources: Office of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Crimean Solidarity, Crimean Tatar Resource Center, Krym.Realii, CrimeaSOS, Ukrinform.

Photo: CrimeaSOS.

Date of update: 11/03/2026.